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Jennifer Garner: Ben Affleck’s Oscar Speech Was the “Hugest Compliment in the World”

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck
Jennifer Garner spoke about Ben Affleck's Oscar speech.

The big smile Jennifer Garner had on her face during husband Ben Affleck's Oscar acceptance speech was genuine — even though he called their marriage "work." The Dallas Buyers Club actress, 40, explained to British paper The Telegraph that she took no offense to her husband's off-the-cuff speech.

"I want to thank you for working on our marriage for 10 Christmases. It's good," Affleck, 40, said while accepting the Best Picture award for Argo. "It is work but the best kind of work and there's no one I'd rather work with."

Related: PHOTOS: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's love story

Garner told The Telegraph that she knew that some misinterpreted Affleck's comments as a sign of marital trouble. "I had a friend call and say, 'Are you OK?'" she revealed. "I know Ben, I knew he meant it as the hugest, warmest compliment in the world," Garner explained. "I think he was saying, 'Look, what we have is really real and I value it above all and I'm in it with you and I know you are in it with me.' That's the way I took it.'"

Related: PHOTOS: Jennifer's life as supermom

Knowing his speech caused a little controversy, Affleck later tried to clarify his comments. "All marriages, all relationships to a certain extent, require your work. They require work and investment," he told Access Hollywood.

But Garner says she didn't need him to clarify it to her. "Poor guy," she said. "It's so horrible to put yourself out there — he didn't have to worry about it from my point of view."

Related: PHOTOS: Jennifer Garner and her girls

The couple are parents to daughters Violet, 7, Seraphina, 4, and son Samuel, 13 months. Garner admitted that her career has taken a back seat to her husband's, but that's the way she likes it. 

"I definitely work less because Ben is so busy but we have three kids, that's just part of the deal," she said. "I want to be a mom. I'm happy for him that he's as energized about work right now as he is. He should be out there doing it. That's just what makes sense for our family."

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